MLA convinces fishermen for river-mouth dredging

MLA convinces fishermen for river-mouth dredging

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Dec 14, 2016: A release from the Mangaluru South MLA J.R. Lobo on Dec 13,Tuesday said that leaders of fishermen and sailors had agreed to allow dredging of the Netravathi-Gurupura river-mouth for the smooth passage of vessels. MLA’s office here said that  Lobo had convened a meeting after fishermen claimed that the dredger deployed now was not suitable to conduct the operation.

The MLA told the leaders that if the works were not completed on time, the Rs. 1 crore sanctioned for the work would lapse. At the same time, many mishaps were being reported because of the accumulation of silt in the river mouth, he said. 

“If the dredger is sent back, it will be difficult to get it again,” MLA Lobo said. He added that a committee comprising leaders of fishermen, sailors and officials from the departments of Ports and Fisheries would watch the progress of works for the next 10 days.

The MLA said that a depth of at least four metres was required for the smooth movement of fishing vessels while the current depth was about 2.5 metres. The release said leaders of fishermen agreed for MLA Lobo’s suggestion saying their only concern was that public money should not go waste because of the dredger.